The Opus Hut

The Opus Hut sits at 11,600 feet in the San Juan Mountains between Telluride and Silverton, reachable by a 3.5-mile winter ski or summer hike from Ophir Pass Road. The operation runs five rooms sleeping up to 20 guests in a communal alpine hut model, with solar power, filtered water, and composting toilets. Meals include breakfast, dinner, and afternoon soup, with beer and wine available for purchase. The surrounding high country offers alpine lake and stream fishing for native cutthroat and brook trout in waters like Columbine Lake, Crystal Lake, Island Lake, and Hope Lake, plus access to Ruby Creek and Mineral Creek drainages. This is a rustic, self-reliant experience—guests pack in and pack out all trash, and the hut operates on a leave-no-trace ethos typical of backcountry alpine lodging.